Volunteer Spotlight: Nora

June 21, 2016By: Meghan MeintsCategory: Volunteer

After being in the veterinary field for 10 years, Nora decided it was time for a change of pace. After specializing in veterinary dermatology, Nora went back to school to get a degree in human resources. She recently completed an internship with Second Harvest Heartland and is now volunteering to complete the work she started.

“I’m not going to leave a project half done, that’s just not how I work,” Nora said. “I want to see the projects through and finished, put those all to bed.”

Nora’s hard work has paid off. She just graduated from Metropolitan State University summa cum laude and is being honored with the university’s outstanding student award for the spring semester.

When she’s not studying, Nora’s volunteering.

“If you can help, help. It’s as simple as that,” Nora said. “I think people get really busy and tangled up in their own lives and are running around here and there. It feels good to help.”

No matter what work she’s doing, Nora is passionate and gives it her all. She’s currently looking for jobs that allow her to put that passion towards helping people instead of pets, however if the opportunity arises she’d go back to helping animals in a heartbeat.

“I think my perspective maybe changed a little bit. It’s not that I don’t care about animals anymore, it’s maybe that I’ve just become aware of my neighbor who’s hungry or someone who’s two steps away from needing food,” Nora said. “I’m particularly fond of seniors who I’ve a couple times ran some boxes out to, and to just see that relief and the gratitude, it’s great.”

For Nora, volunteering her time is not just a nice thing to do for other people; it’s a required part of life. Finding out that a friend’s cousin is homeless put everything into perspective for her.

“If I have the ability to do it, I think it’s something I should do,” she said. “I think it’s nearly an obligation, actually a moral obligation. At the soul of who I am, it’s important; a requirement in life.”

With all of the opportunities to volunteer nowadays, Nora says Second Harvest Heartland is one of her favorite places to be.

“I really believe in the organization. I’m in awe of what Second Harvest accomplishes,” she said. “The resources, the volunteers, the actual food, how they get so much done; it absolutely amazes me. I believe in it.”